Wendell Hayes

Wendell Hayes

Hayes visits patients at Fitzsimons Army Medical Center
No. 33, 29, 38
Position	Running back
Personal information
Born	(1940-08-05)August 5, 1940 Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Died	December 28, 2019(2019-12-28) (aged 79) Oakland, California, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight	220 lb (100 kg)
Career information
High school	McClymonds (Oakland, California)
College	Humboldt St.
NFL draft	1963: undrafted
Career history
Dallas Cowboys (1963) Denver Broncos (1964)* Oakland Raiders (1964)* Denver Broncos (1965–1967) Kansas City Chiefs (1968-1974)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Awards and highlights
Super Bowl champion (IV) AFL champion (1969)
Career NFL/AFL statistics
Rushing yards 3,758 Rushing average 3.8 Receptions 161 Receiving yards 1,461 Touchdowns 35 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Wendell Hayes (August 5, 1940 - December 28, 2019) was an American professional football running back. Wendell played college football at Humboldt State University. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos and the AFL's Kansas City Chiefs, which included the team that defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth and final AFL-NFL World Championship Game.

Early life

Hayes attended McClymonds High School where he developed into an exceptional multi-sport athlete. He received All-Oakland Athletic League honors in football, basketball and track. He was also an amateur boxer.

He was mentored by Earl Meneweather who became California's first High School African American Head Football Coach in 1957. He was a dominant running back in football. He played on two undefeated basketball teams, that included Paul Silas and Aaron Pointer.

He moved on to Merritt College before transferring to Humboldt State University, where he played football, basketball and track.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Hayes signed as an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys in 1963. ^[1] Injuries limited him to only one regular season game. He was waived on August 30, 1964. ^[2]

Denver Broncos (first stint)

He signed with the Denver Broncos in 1964 but was released before the start of the season.

Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders signed him to their taxi squad in 1964, before being cut in December.

Denver Broncos (second stint)

The Denver Broncos brought him back for their training camp in 1965 and surprised observers not just by making the team, but also starting in the same backfield with Cookie Gilchrist, finishing with 526 rushing yards (second on the team).

In 1966, although he was undersized for the position, he was moved to fullback after Gilchrist announced his retirement and led the team in rushing with 417 yards. ^[3]

On January 19, 1968, he was traded along with Goldie Sellers and a player to be named later to the Kansas City Chiefs, in exchange for a third (#75-Bob Vaughan) and fourth round (#102-Drake Garrett) draft choices. ^[4]

Kansas City Chiefs

Hayes was placed on the injured reserve list on October 31, 1968. ^[5] He became a starter at fullback in 1970 and kept that role four years, until being relegated back to a reserve role. He was waived on April 21, 1975. ^[6]

NFL/AFL career statistics

Legend
	Won the Super Bowl
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Rushing					Receiving
		GP	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
1963	DAL	1	0	0	0	0.0	0	0	0	0	0.0	0	0
1965	DEN	14	13	130	526	4.0	43	5	24	294	12.3	66	2
1966	DEN	11	10	105	417	4.0	56	1	8	49	6.1	29	0
1967	DEN	14	7	85	255	3.0	18	4	13	125	9.6	24	0
1968	KAN	11	4	85	340	4.0	25	4	12	108	9.0	22	1
1969	KAN	14	0	62	208	3.4	11	4	9	64	7.1	17	0
1970	KAN	14	14	109	381	3.5	22	5	26	219	8.4	28	0
1971	KAN	14	14	132	537	4.1	27	1	16	150	9.4	26	1
1972	KAN	13	12	128	536	4.2	28	0	31	295	9.5	29	3
1973	KAN	13	7	95	352	3.7	27	2	18	134	7.4	27	0
1974	KAN	14	6	57	206	3.6	19	2	4	23	5.8	9	0
		133	87	988	3,758	3.8	56	28	161	1,461	9.1	66	7

Playoffs

Year	Team	Games		Rushing					Receiving
		GP	GS	Att	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	Rec	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD
1968	KAN	1	0	3	10	3.3	6	0	0	0	0.0	0	0
1969	KAN	3	0	26	98	3.8	13	1	6	49	8.2	17	0
1971	KAN	1	1	22	100	4.5	16	0	3	6	2.0	7	0
		5	1	51	208	4.1	16	1	9	55	6.1	17	0

Personal life and death

Wendell Hayes died on December 28, 2019, at the age of 79, in Oakland, California. He was survived by his wife of 54 years, Donna Hayes; daughter, Jacquetta Hayes; brother, the Reverend Joseph B. Hayes; and sister, Winnie Hayes.

References

1. "Card Fullback Traded To Dallas" . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
2. "Cowboys Obtain Roach For Quarterback Relief" . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
3. "Denver Rebuilds AL Team Without Cookie" . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
4. "Chiefs Work Full Squad" . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
5. "Wendell Hayes on Injured List" . Retrieved February 19, 2023.
6. "Chiefs Waive Hayes" . Retrieved February 19, 2023.

External links

• Broncos Feel Hayes Is Answer to Cookie and Fullback Woes Archived April 24, 2016, at the Wayback Machine